


Desperation

by Reronettie (Killianemma915)



Category: General Hospital
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Insanity, Kidnapping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 02:37:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21263708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killianemma915/pseuds/Reronettie
Summary: Elizabeth and Franco band together, when Kim's slipping sanity threatens Cameron.





	Desperation

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a one-shot I've been working on for a while, I will probably post another chapter of my longer story within the next couple of days.

Cameron sat at community service, waiting for his mom to pick him up. After he'd gotten drunk on Halloween, his mother took his car away for three months. He was lucky she saved him from going to Juvie. Cam had gotten so angry about what happened at the hearing that he didn't use his best judgment. He wasn't sure how he would ever make this up to her. She didn't have Franco, and now she didn't have him to lean on. He felt so stupid. He kicked the dirt to let out his frustration.  
"Cameron, are you ok?" He heard a voice behind him. He turned to see one of the last people on Earth he ever wanted to see again. This day was getting better and better.  
"What are you doing here?" He asked her as she approached him. "I figured you left town by now."  
"There was an issue with our plans, but we will be leaving soon." Something seemed a little off about her; He didn't like her expression. He realized he should run, but he was fixed in place. He glanced down at his phone as It buzzed. It was a text message from his mom, saying she was running about five minutes late. He texted her back immediately.  
'Please hurry, mom. Dr. Nero is here, and something is off.' He typed the words quickly, then spoke aloud. "My mom will be here any minute, and I think it might be in your best interest to leave before she gets here. She doesn't like you very much right now."  
"No one seems to." Her face twisted into an odd grin. "Not even the man who claims to love me. Your mother and Julian saw to that. This is all your fault, Cameron. If you weren't so compelling on the stand, he would have left town with me. Instead, he wants to stay here and work some things out. He thinks I need help."  
"Dr. Nero, listen, I'm sorry about what is happening between you and Franco." Cameron started.  
"He's Drew Cain." She cut him off. There was a quality to her face now that Cam found genuinely frightening. He was about to turn and run away. "I don't want to hear the name Franco Baldwin ever again."  
"Look, lady, you took the only father that ever cared about me away from me. I blame you for that. If you stepped back, we might have convinced him to become Franco. Instead, he listened to you." Cameron stated.  
"I love Drew, and I will never step back from him." She glared at Cameron, her eyes cold. "Never."  
"Honestly, I'm glad he dumped you, and if he's staying in town I'm happy about that. It might give me, and my brother's a stronger chance of getting our dad back." He paused, "So, thanks for that."  
"Oh, we will be leaving, and you are going to help me convince Drew." Kim was next to him now. He turned, realizing what was happening a second too late. She stuck him with something. "Will learn if Mommy loves you enough to give me what I want." She giggled happily. "Come on, Cam; it is time to play."  
'Help me.' Cam texted before dropping off into unconsciousness.  
-/-  
"Mrs. Webber-Baldwin, we are doing everything we can." Detective Chase explained. "We put an amber alert out for Cameron and an APB out on Kim's car. We will find him."  
"I need to talk to someone right now." The man who now lived as Drew said, running into the police station. He was extremely distraught. "Elizabeth." He uttered as he saw her.  
"What is this regarding Mr..." Chase appeared confused about precisely what he should call the man. They all were.  
"I received a video message from Kim Nero a few moments ago." He spoke his hands were shaking, and he had been crying. "I'm concerned. She was acting crazy in it. She told me she had Cameron Webber and that nothing would happen to him so long as I played her game."  
"What game?" Chase glanced back and forth between the two of them.  
"After I learned what Kim did at the trial, I told her she needed some help. I said we should take a step back. Kim lost it. She seemed to think I only wanted her if she was fixed. She stormed off, and I haven't spoken with her since. Until I got the call, I thought she done with me."  
"What did she want?" Elizabeth wanted to know the answer as well.  
"For me to leave town with her. She said she would call me back with a meetup location. If I go with her, she will let Cam go. If not, she is going to hurt him. She didn't tell me what she would do, but she was acting odd." Drew went sheet white.  
"Oh my god," Elizabeth said. "He texted me about an hour ago, I told him I was running late, and he said Dr. Nero was with him and then he texted the words help me I got to his community service location as fast as I could. When I arrived, his phone was lying on the ground, and he was gone. I figured she had taken him. I had no idea she slipped this far."  
"I'm sorry I didn't trust you when you told me that Kim was fragile. Everyone tried to warn me, but I only saw the woman I once loved. Now Cameron is paying the price for that." He slumped down, tears forming in his eyes.  
"I'm going to need your phone," Chase told Drew. "We might be able to trace the phone she used or the video call."  
"I will do anything," Drew surprised Elizabeth. "I'm so sorry."  
"Listen to me," Elizabeth said, surprising him. "This is not your fault. Kim is the one who took Cameron. You were right to tell her she needed help. She isn't acting rationally."  
"I'm the one who got so swept up in the past that I couldn't even take the time to learn who the woman I claimed to love was." His gaze was full of regret. "I never in a million years thought she would take Cameron, not after what happened to Oscar."  
"I'm causing her pain," Elizabeth stated. "She wants me to understand what she feels."  
"Do you think Cameron is in real danger?" He asked, wearily.  
"I don't know." He put his arms out for her. She stepped forward, allowing him to hug her as she sobbed. Pretty soon, he was crying with her.  
-/-  
"We will see how much the man you claim to call daddy loves you, won't we?" Kim had Cameron tied to a chair in a rural farmhouse. They had not driven far outside of Port Charles, but he dropped his phone. The police had no way of tracking him. He wondered if his mom had gotten his last desperate plea for help. He hoped the police knew he was with Dr. Nero.  
"Drew might not come for me; he has no reason to care. My mom, however, will not rest until I am home safe and sound." He snapped.  
"I'm not playing with your mother. Elizabeth is so selfish." Kim's eyes looked large and unfocused. Cameron understood she had completely lost her mind. "She has all three of you, and she had a loving husband. I deserve something after I lost Oscar, I don't think it is so much to ask to let me be happy with a man who loves me. But no, she had to go and drag my secrets out for the whole world to hear, and destroy the last good thing I had left. Drew loved me, and she couldn't handle that. She had to try to fight for that freak Franco."  
"He was not a freak," Cameron argued. "He was just a regular man trying to make up for the things he did in his past."  
"He was a murderer!" She screamed.  
"Yeah, well, he was sick at the time," Cam spoke. "He had a brain tumor. It was affecting his judgment."  
"You don't buy that crap?" Cameron decided not to answer. The conversation was going nowhere.  
"What are you going to do?" Cameron asked.  
"Either Drew comes with me to someplace far away to start a life with me or..." She trailed off, merely smiling.  
"You can't hurt me," Cameron begged.  
"Oh, I can. I don't want to, but if I have to, I can hurt you badly." Kim sounded teasing. Cameron was looking around the room, trying to figure out anything he could about where they were. The drugs she had given him had worn off; he tried to wiggle his wrists; she secured them well.  
"What would Oscar say? If you hurt me, how would he like that? He was my best friend." Cameron reminded her. "He would be so disappointed in you."  
"You don't get to tell me how my son would feel; it doesn't matter." She began to sob. "Oscar is gone. He died. If people don't start giving me what I deserve, you will too."  
"Please." He pleaded. This woman was not like Shiloh and Dr. Cabot, there was no reasoning with them. Dr. Nero had lost her mind, but her lack of sanity helped sway her. "I could go with you; I could be a new Oscar. We could have a lot of fun together as mother and son." He watched as her face turned into a wicked grin. This was the button he needed to push. She seemed pleased with this idea.  
"See." She had an insane smile. "Now that is a good plan. I knew I liked you. All we have to do is wait for Daddy to come, and we can all go be a family."  
-/-  
"Were you able to find anything?" Both Elizabeth and the man in her husband's body leaped to their feet as Detective Chase reentered the room. Drew had been staring into space; he didn't know what to say to her.  
"We traced the call to a three-mile area outside of Port Charles city limits," Chase said. "There aren't many structures in the area, mostly farmland. I'm checking if there are any abandoned buildings out that way."  
"Ok," This situation was unfair. It was the second time Cameron had gotten kidnapped in a matter of months. Her baby needed her. She was a horrible mother.  
"The state patrol is sending some men to canvas the area. It isn't our jurisdiction, but since there's a missing child, they said we should send whoever we can to assist. I'm sending a few of my men to some possible targets. I think at this point, the two of you should probably go home. There isn't anything more you can do. We will call you as soon as we know anything at all."  
"I can't sit around at home and wait," Elizabeth grimaced. "I need to do something."  
"There is nothing more you can do, Mrs. Baldwin," Chase told them.  
"I'm sick of everyone telling me there is nothing I can do. I heard it constantly while I lost my husband, and now I will not sit back and lose my son too." She stormed out of the room.  
"I will take her home," Drew promised chase. He ran after her.  
"Chase is right; we need to head home. We are in the way here." He reasoned with her.  
"What the hell do you care anyway?" She cried. "You won't give me back my husband. Cameron isn't your stepson. You chose to be Drew remember?"  
"I'm beginning to wonder if that was a grave mistake!" The words shocked Elizabeth to her core. "I do care, and I feel things. Things I think may not be my feelings at all."  
"Since when?" She was shaking.  
"Since the hospital when you had me tied up. But Kim convinced me it was just sympathy for the situation. Since the trial ended, I realize that isn't the case." He was looking at the floor, now afraid to make eye contact with her.  
"We can talk about this later, right now. We need to focus on getting Cameron back." It was difficult for her to end the conversation, but Cam was more important.  
"I would like to stay with you until they find him. I understand I don't have any right to ask you after what I did to your family, but please, I can't stand around and do nothing either."  
"Sure, I had my grandmother pick up Jake and Aiden." She said. "So It would just be us."  
"That's probably for the best." He whispered. She couldn't help but smile.  
"Let's get out of here." They entered the parking garage as Drew's link rang. Elizabeth instantly stepped out of view as he answered the unknown number.  
"Hey, baby," Kim appeared on the screen.  
"Kim." He was trying to sound casual. "I think it is time you let Cameron go."  
"I think it's time you come and get your family." She smiled. "I've been speaking with the boy, and he wants to come with us. He thinks that you, I, and he can be a nice happy new family." Elizabeth cringed at this. Kim was trying to replace Oscar with Cameron.  
"He isn't Oscar, Kim. He's Cameron Webber, and that boy has a family." He reasoned with her. "Elizabeth loves him."  
"Don't ever speak her name to me again." Her eyes going wide. "This boy is our son now, a fresh start."  
"I'm sorry, sweetheart; I didn't mean to upset you. If you want to start a new family together, I will try to be the husband you always wanted." He stared at Elizabeth, telling her without words that the only way to win this was to feed into Kim's delusions, at least until they found out where Cameron was. "I didn't mean to make you think I don't want to be with you, tell me where you are, and I will be there soon."  
"You better come alone." Her voice was soft, but there was something edgy about it. "No police, and no, Elizabeth."  
"I can do that," Drew assured. "Now, tell me the address." Drew waited patiently while Kim texted him the address and directions to where she was holding Cameron. Relief washed over Elizabeth as he received the message. He ended the call and stared at her.  
"I'm going to do what she asked." He told Elizabeth. She didn't like it. "If she suspects I brought you or the cops, she might hurt Cameron."  
"I don't think you should..." She started to say. To her surprise, he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her passionately. He kissed her like Franco used to kiss her. She was taken aback.  
"Why?" She wondered as he pulled away, an odd look on his face.  
"I wanted to try to remind Franco what he is fighting for," Drew said, surprising her. "When I come back, I think I would like to have that procedure.' Tears welled up in her eyes.  
"We will discuss it." She said. "I'm not sure that is worth the risk."  
"In five minutes, I'm going to send you a text with Kim's location. Give me a five-minute head start, and then tell Detective Chase exactly were to go." He told her the plan.  
"Do me one favor?" She pleaded.  
"Anything?" He said.  
"Bring my son and my husband home safely." She grinned.  
"I will try." He smiled before getting into his car.  
-/-  
Kim was in the farmhouse kitchen, humming as she fixed Cameron a grilled cheese sandwich. He was still tied to the chair, but he thought he might be able to break the chair if he tipped it. He was also afraid of breaking his head open if he did that.  
"Oscar, Honey?" Kim said creepily it reminded Cam she was a loose cannon.  
"Yes, mom." He said, trying his best not to upset her. He hated using that word for anyone but his real mother.  
"How toasted do you want it?" She had a smile as she showed him the bread.  
"I like them light brown," He said. "Not very toasted at all."  
"Oh, my son always liked his well done." She was a little manic again. "You should try it that way."  
"Whatever makes you happy." Cameron feared she was slipping even more from the grip of reality.  
"Your father will be here any minute now. Then we can all eat and head out of town." She had begun to hum again.  
"Sounds wonderful," Cameron said. Just then, he heard the sounds of a car approaching from the outside. He felt relief wash over him. Someone was here.  
As the man he had once known as Franco stepped into the farmhouse, Kim gave a giddy squeal. Cameron looked at him hopefully. He gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. Cameron wondered if he had brought back up. Dr. Nero would be easy to subdue, but he hoped the police were on their way. Drew stepped toward Kim, and she leaped at him, kissing him square on the mouth. He didn't act pleased by the kiss. Cameron turned away, as the sight turned his stomach.  
"What are you doing?" Drew stayed calm.  
"I made us grilled cheese." She smiled. "They were always Oscar's favorite." She looked at Cameron as if not seeing him. She imagined he was her dead son now.  
"You need to untie the boy, or else he won't be able to eat." Drew gave Kim a pleading stare. "He looks hungry and thirsty."  
"I am, I promise I won't run, Mom." Cameron struggled as Drew smiled at him. He was oddly proud of the kid's strength.  
"I guess I can trust you," Kim said she walked over and loosened the restraints on the arms. As she finished the feet, Drew pounced, grabbing her from behind and pulling her to the floor. In that instant, the sound of other vehicles filled the air. Cameron stood as Kim kneed Drew in the groin. Cam kicked her hard as Kim tried to get to her feet. She struggled and fell to the floor again. Kim pulled something from her pocket, and Cameron stared at it in shock. It was another syringe filled with clear-beige liquid. She pressed it against the surface of Cameron's bare ankle, not breaking the skin.  
"It's a potent enough concentration to kill him." She said to Drew. "I will do it." Drew reached for the syringe, managing to get it away from Cameron's leg. It was still locked in Kim's hand. Cam ran as Chase, and three others barged through the door. Kim shuffled to her feet, laughing like a lunatic. Drew rammed into her shoving her into a bookcase on the wall. The shelving unit teetered unsteadily.  
"Put your hands in the air," Chase called to the room. Kim slumped on the wall. Drew screamed in horror as he realized a second too late what her next move would be.  
"No." He dived forward, kicking the already teetering bookcase. She looked defeated for a moment. Sadness crept through her body, and she stabbed the syringe into her arm, a moment before, the shelf crashed down on her and Drew.  
-/-  
"His head injury is minor." The EMT explained as they worked on Franco. Cameron was sitting next to her, hooked to an IV drip but otherwise uninjured.  
"They took Dr. Nero in another Ambulance." She tried to say to Cameron. "The prognosis is not good though, whatever was in the syringe was a lethal dose. They are treating her, but she might not make it."  
"She stabbed herself a second before the bookcase fell on them. She realized she couldn't win." Cameron said. "She had gone crazy mom; she was calling me Oscar."  
"I know, honey, I'm so sorry," Elizabeth reassured him.  
"If Franco or Drew or whatever hadn't..." She cut him off with a hug. "He saved me again."  
"He told me before he came to get you that he wants to have the procedure." Cameron was in shock. His stepfather had taken the brunt of the bookcase and been knocked unconscious.  
"Seriously?" Cameron hugged her hard. He reached over and grabbed Franco's still hand. "Thanks again, dad."  
-/-  
"He got a bad bump on the head." The Doctor told them when they reached General Hospital. "But he is just unconscious. I expect he will be waking up any time now."  
"Ok," Elizabeth said as she stood at his bedside, holding his hand tight. "And, Dr. Nero?"  
"She survived the drive here, but we don't know the extent of the damage, it was a cocktail of Sodium pentothal and Xanax. Both in very high concentration. It's a miracle she made it at all." He stepped from the room.  
"You did an excellent job yet again. You have got to stop reminding me why I love you so much." Elizabeth laid her head on his chest, listening to his breathing. "If you keep this up, the whole town is going to stop hating you, and you wouldn't want to destroy your reputation."  
"Elizabeth Imogene Webber-Baldwin, did you just accuse me of being liked?" Liz snapped up, staring into his open eyes. She suddenly realized he had used her middle name, she had never told Drew what her middle name was. "I don't think we need to have a conversation about having the procedure after all."  
"Franco?" Elizabeth was shocked.  
"I was in there the whole time; I think Drew must have decided to stop fighting me." He laughed. She grabbed him and kissed him on the lips.  
"I wanted out when Kim went after the kid." He spoke with a raspy voice. "I think it was the bump on the head that did it, though." She couldn't help herself. She kissed him hard again.  
"I'm sorry." He said. "I was fighting like hell, I knew everything that was happening, and I could do nothing. It was like being trapped inside the worst movie ever with no way out."  
"Everyone is ok." Tears were forming in her eyes. "You came back."  
"Not before I gutted our family." His eyes went to the ground.  
"Drew Cain did that, not you." She told him.  
"It didn't seem that way to me." He looked away from her gaze.  
"Listen to me." She grabbed his chin. "All you did was save our son twice. I still love you more than anyone. Please tell me we will be ok?"  
"Is Kim dead?" He was avoiding the question.  
"She made it here alive, but its touch and go," Elizabeth admitted.  
"I hope she lives long enough to rot in prison for what she did to all of us." He growled.  
"You never answered my question." She forced him to look again.  
"I think so, I want to say I know we will be ok, but I have a lot to work through." He was still trying to avoid staring straight at her.  
We will do this together as we always do." She said, not letting him look away.  
"If you still want me, then I'm in." he managed, putting his head against hers.  
"I am always going to want you, Franco." She told him. They looked up to see Cameron stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway.  
"Franco?" He said. He was holding a cup of coffee.  
"Hey, kid." He was barely holding back tears. "You did a good job of helping me keep my promise to come back."  
"I tried," Cameron said. He ran to both them hugging them tightly. "Listen, I know we had our issues before, but thanks for saving me... twice."  
"I love you, Cam. I'd do it all again to see you here safe."  
"I love you too, Dad." They all broke down into a fit of happy tears.  
When Epiphany stopped by to check Franco's vital's several minutes later, she stared at the three of them. They were all trying to fit in the small single hospital bed. They were all crying and talking rapidly. She knew she needed to check Franco's vitals, but it could wait. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was these people, and she wouldn't be the one to break that up. She moved to the next room, thinking she could give them ten more minutes.


End file.
